Passion in Writing

One of the greatest pieces of advice I could give to another writer would be, write what you're passionate about.  If someone were to ask me to sum up my book in five words my answer would be:  God, family, love, coffee, and dessert.  I strongly believe that you can't function without any of these.

1.  God is my foundation on which I live my life.  He gives me peace when I'm impatient and strength when I'm weak.

2.  As crazy as my family can be sometimes, they have helped to shape my character.

3.  To quote Moulin Rouge, "A life without love?  That's terrible!"

4.  Coffee is the drink that cures all.

5.  A meal isn't complete without a little something sweet.

Editors

One of the hardest steps in writing a book is finding the right editor.  I truly enjoy being an English teacher, but my passion is literature not grammar.  Needless to say when I begin writing my concerns don't contain the words comma splice or verb agreement.  Creating vivid content is my forte.  I leave the mechanics to Chase, my husband.  He has been a good wonderful book editor for me.  The way he "dissects" my sentences is amazing.  I really should be thanking his high school English teacher.  She has made him a grammar freak guru. I'm extremely blessed to have his constant support.  The advice he gives is completely constructive and is making my book publisher worthy.  I just have to find a publisher.  Any takers? A little note to all my writers out there:  Don't be afraid to let someone "criticize" your material.  A good writer takes the criticism and applies it to their craft.

Catching the Audience

Besides the inspiration question, I am constantly asked about the content of my book.  You would think the answer would come naturally, but I soon find myself stumbling over my words and confusing the person who originally asked the question.  What?  Me?  Confuse someone? I know, shocking!  So, I thought about times when I would go into a local bookstore and select a piece of literature that attracted my fancy.  What made me select that work?  It was all about the information on the back cover.  If my book were to ever get published, the back would probably read something like this.

When Sawyer Kelley inherited the family bakery, she though everything would be a piece of cake.  However, learning to embrace the baker within is quite a challenge.  Fighting with her estranged father who wants to sell their memories only makes matters worse.  However, when a handsome chef comes into the kitchen, strange things start to happen.  She soon learns that passion is the "magical" ingredient in any recipe.  Will Sawyer accept  the pastry chef she was meant to be or will she fall in like a chocolate souffle?

Inspiration

Where do you get your ideas?  Everywhere.  This is the question that I constantly encounter on a daily basis.  I know the answer of "everywhere" is a cliche, but it's true.  For example, I was standing out on my new patio watching the rain trickle down and it hit me.  Why don't I have Bentley and Sawyer get caught in the rain?  I mean my book does take place in Seattle.  Inspiration comes from anything and anyone.  The mind just has to be open enough to interpret the creativity. The rain also reminded me to appreciate the little things in life.  I forgot how much I love the smell of rain and listening to cars splash over the puddles.

There's a picture of Granny Day that hangs in the kitchen of the bakery.  Sawyer Kelley blows a kiss to it everyday. This gesture reassures her that nothing is to horrible as long as you have faith.  It could be a picture or a rain drop that fuels your spirit.

Where do you find your inspiration?

"My mama told me there'd be days like this."

One of the biggest struggles that a writer can deal with is a block.  This afternoon I opened up my laptop to work on my book and nothing.  I couldn't find the words to put my ideas into action.  It was like a snowstorm up there all white and fuzzy.

So, you're probably thinking ,"How do you get yourself out of this predicament?"

Everyone has their own remedy for a block.  Some go running to clear their mind, but even though I love the idea of running (feet on pavement and running from your problems) the asthma gets in the way sometimes.  Others might watch TV or listen to music to escape.   I am apart of the technology generation, but these things do not aide in recovering from a block.  The only solution that I have found to be successful is to brainstorm in my journal.  I know, writing to fix a writing problem?  You're probably thinking she's a nut genius. It helps.  I spill all of my ideas down on paper.  Incomplete sentences, single words, and pictures if necessary seem to get me focused again.  Away I go to my journal.  I hope the doctor is in.

The Power of Names

When one begins to write a book, it's easy to get lost in elaborating.  Don't get me wrong, it is an important aspect in catching your reader's attention.  However, you need to make sure and consider the names of locations within your book.  Everything should have meaning behind it.

For instance, the bakery that Sawyer owns is La Boulangerie Foi.  Translated from the French it means "The Bakery of Faith."  You'll learn that Granny Day, the original owner,  came up with the name when she realized she must have faith in herself not to indulge in the pastries she was making.  She was also a strong believer in having faith in God because he was the only one to give her enough patience to deal with Sawyer's father.
Bentley's restaurant is Crush.  He wants his guests to get butterflies, their pulses to race, and for them to get tongue tied when they experience his food.  The food should be just as intense as a "first crush."

All it takes is a deep consideration of names to draw you reader into your world.

Food for Thought

Writing a book about a woman who is a baker makes you realize how many words there are to describe flavor.

*tasty

*mouth-watering

*delectable

*yummy

*scrumptious

*succulent

*tantalizing

*luscious

*savory

This list barely scraps the surface.  You know that you have described food in detail when you start salivating over your own creation.  Here are just a few of the concoctions I've come up with for Simply Flourful.

*chocolate souffle with a salted caramel ganache

*lemon tart with fresh blackberry compote

*chocolate-hazelnut tart drizzled with a white chocolate sauce

*orange-cranberry scone

*honey lavender muffins

*vanilla eclair with an almond cream

Envious of Characters

I came to the realization today that I'm jealous of the characters in my book.  Sawyer Kelley gets to experiment in a bakery and drink free coffee.  Yes, I understand that I could do this in my own kitchen, but Sawyer gets paid for it!  Developing your characters can be a daunting wonderful task sometimes.  You have to create a character that your reader can fall in love with or want to fall off a cliff.

You'll never understand the obsession devotion to your craft until you feel what your character goes through.  There are times when you begin writing and get lost in the words because you find yourself in a relationship with them.  Excitement fills my body as I wonder about what's going to happen to my characters.  Will Bentley accept Sawyer's strange gift?  Does James ever stop drooling over the oblivious Vikki?

The Daily Struggles of a Writer

So, I've tried the world of blogging a couple of years ago and found it to be quite time consuming.  However, I'm using this blog as an outlet for my book.  I guess I should explain that I'm writing a book. My deadline to finish is this December, and I've come to realize that writing is a love/hate relationship.  There are days when I brainstorm in my journal for days, but lately I've received the dreaded "writer's block."

This blog will serve as a blessing and a curse.  It will detail all the struggles that come with writing a book, but will also describe the rare occasion of standing back in awe of your own words.  I long for the day when I can say, "look for Simply Flourful coming to a bookstore near you."